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' J.P.DERR.

. Thorough-Brace Bridge.

No. 198,580. Patented Dec. 25,1877.

N-PETERS, PHOTO-LPHOGRAPIIER, WASHINGTON. D C

Tocllwhom a may a't; 1

:Be it knowntha I,1JOH N P. DER ,-;-of Mer cer, in thelcduntjrof Mercer and sweep r Pennsylvania, have invented certainvnewi and I usefuil Improvements ;.in f Thorough Brace rid s; and I i here y d e. t a th following is a full,jclea r, and exactdescription thereof, reference "being f had to the' accompanyingi d awi gs, 1and 1: Q ence marked there i j specification. 5i" M My invention. relates to the. class ofbridgesl nown to bridge+builders as thorough brace ridges and it con"sists'in the construction f a brace-shoe forfthjesame, as will be herein ;fter=more full'ylset forthn, r Inordertoenablejot ers skilledin'the art "to. which my ;invention'jlappertainsv to. make whi hg mpartqf th scribe its construction' jand operation, refera e o the a nexed-dr w W i1j I Figure l is a-sideT elevation of the jend'iof .a

bridge, showing "my; brace shoe in position.

Fig.--2 shows the {method of attachingthe shoe rt-o the chord for insidebraces,:a.:rid Fig..Lfis

\abottom view'o' f part'ofjthe shoe.- 5

r I A representst'a portion, of the chord of'the w bridge, and B apo'rtion of the brace.

@The brace-shoe iscomposed of two parts, 0

and D.. The part0) is in-L shape, the verti- 'jcalportion ot'ythe samejbeing beveledon its ,7 :upper edge, and {formed on the back witha ji rounded projection,:.0( having acentral hole,

shown. The} part.

j somewhat in fthejform of 1a cap that is to say,

{a top plate with .downwardly projecting {side the under side, are ;formed ears or projections D D, betweenwhich-the projection O is to fit, and a bolt, a, passing through all, unites them together."i'

On the ends of the bolt on are placed iron 7 bars or straps I, which pass along the sides I ,of the shoe 0, and are bolted to the chord A'- o the letterjsF'iofrefer-- iand' use the same, will now proceed to deof the shoe is; made flanges; and atthe lower endof the same, on

,PATENT OFFICE.

I 1 D ER, 'oFfM ERcER, PENNSYLVANIA.

1; fI EMJiIQ RQVLE M ENT' IN ROUGH-BRACE BRIDGES.

" s e ification refini g pat-lief LettersPatentNoi'198,580, dated December 25,1877; application filed p t November go, 1877.

The lower end of the brace is beveled on both sides, the two bevels being at right angles to each other, and fitting upon and againstthe rL shaped shoe 0, while the cap D fits over the brace and is bolted thereto.

It is well known that wooden bridges first give way at the foot or toe of the outside braces, where they were bolted to the chord, which defect causes trouble and expense. This defect is obviated by my improved brace-shoe,

which possesses the following important advantages: It will prevent the toe or foot of the brace from jumping off or slipping back.

It protects it from the weather. Any kind of timber can be used for braces and strainbeams, as they are not split, but leftinone piece. Theshoe can be used on inside braces as well as outside; hence does not shorten bridges. Its connection to the chord is such that either wood or iron may be used as chord, at pleasure. Its connection to wooden chord is such that the chord is left independent of the brace, which adds to the durability of the chord.

The shoe can be adjusted to any elevation of truss or arch.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In thorough-brace bridges, the combination, with the chord A and brace B, of the braceshoe constructed of the L-shaped part 0, with projection O, and the cap D, with ears D, the two parts being hinged together, as described, and the bars or straps I, all constructed substantially as and for the purposes herein-set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JNO. P. DEER.

Witnesses THOMAS LEECH, R. G. MADGE. 

